Chapter 4 of War-time Silhouettes is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of War-time Silhouettes is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“My keys?” Bobby felt in his pockets. “What sort of keys do you mean?” He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others. He held them in his hand, and ticked them off one by one mechanically.
Chapter 4 of War-time Silhouettes is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
being joined in close association
From this reading “He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.”
an informal term for a British policeman
From this reading “Bobby felt in his pockets.”
a series of things depending on each other as if linked together
From this reading “He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.”
plural of “key” — metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading ““My keys?””
key for raising or drawing back a latch or opening an outside door
From this reading “He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.”
in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism
From this reading “He held them in his hand, and ticked them off one by one mechanically.”
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading “Bobby felt in his pockets.”
past form of “tick” — make a clicking or ticking sound
From this reading “He held them in his hand, and ticked them off one by one mechanically.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.
being joined in close association
From this reading He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.
an informal term for a British policeman
From this reading Bobby felt in his pockets.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He held them in his hand, and ticked them off one by one mechanically.
a series of things depending on each other as if linked together
From this reading He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What sort of keys do you mean?”
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Bobby felt in his pockets.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.
coins made of gold
From this reading He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He held them in his hand, and ticked them off one by one mechanically.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading He held them in his hand, and ticked them off one by one mechanically.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Bobby felt in his pockets.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Bobby felt in his pockets.
plural of “key” — metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading “My keys?”
key for raising or drawing back a latch or opening an outside door
From this reading He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “What sort of keys do you mean?”
in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism
From this reading He held them in his hand, and ticked them off one by one mechanically.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My keys?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “What sort of keys do you mean?”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He held them in his hand, and ticked them off one by one mechanically.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He held them in his hand, and ticked them off one by one mechanically.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Bobby felt in his pockets.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading “What sort of keys do you mean?”
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He held them in his hand, and ticked them off one by one mechanically.
past form of “tick” — make a clicking or ticking sound
From this reading He held them in his hand, and ticked them off one by one mechanically.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What sort of keys do you mean?”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He pulled a gold chain out of his pocket to which were attached his latchkey and a few others.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What sort of keys do you mean?”
Chapter 4 of War-time Silhouettes by Stephen Hudson holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 4 holds 427 sentences of War-time Silhouettes, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of War-time Silhouettes by Stephen Hudson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading War-time Silhouettes by Stephen Hudson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1730 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8138 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8138, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 144 minutes of reading across 346 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through War-time Silhouettes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of War-time Silhouettes to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in War-time Silhouettes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
